The blog contains articles by the author which appear in various newspapers in Kashmir and are also available on the website: www.kashmirfirst.com

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

The “New India”!

(The
recent state elections show that the “New India” would probably be the
realisation of the Golwalkar’s dream!)

After a resounding
victory in the UP and Uttrakhand State elections, the Prime Minister declared
that it was the beginning of a “New India”. According to him this India of progress
and development which would be completed by 2022 and would be populated by the
new youth who would constitute about 65% of the population by then. His victory
was unprecedented in spite of the apprehensions that the demonetarisation which
had very adversely affected the lower working classes including farmers would
give him a setback. In fact, the people have believed his declarations of
ending the black money. However, it is also a fact that the main thrust of the
campaign was not economic development but the Hindutva agenda of the “New
India” of Hindus only! It is, practically an accelerated march to realise the
“Dream India” of Golwalkar! The
ultimate slogan was Hindu and Hindu Rashtra. Gandhi was replaced by Golwalkar!
This was evident from the remarks about “Kabristan” and “Shamshan Ghat”. (Graveyard
and Crematorium).

Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, also known as Shri Guruji who was
the supreme leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, ultimately prevailed.
His thoughts may finally decide the fate of modern India. Narendra Modi has
written a biographical profile of Golwalkar in his book, “Jyotipunj”. He
considers Golwalkar to be one of his inspirations. Golwalkar writes in his book, “We, or Our
Nationhood Defined”, “The non-Hindu people of Hindustan must either adopt Hindu
culture and language, must learn and respect and hold in reverence the Hindu
religion, must entertain no idea but of those of glorification of the Hindu
race and culture ... In a word they must cease to be foreigners, or may stay in
the country, wholly subordinated to the Hindu nation, claiming nothing,
deserving no privileges, far less any preferential treatment—not even citizens'
rights.” Narendra Modi through RSS is now giving practical shape to these ideas
of Golwalkar. In fact, recently Bhagwat an RSS leader had declared that everyone
born in India is a Hindu even if he may be professing some other faith than
Hinduism. Instead of realizing the dream of a progressive, secular and
democratic country, they are taking India to Vedic times in a totally
retrograde mode. India of Tagore’s dreams and vision seems to be disappearing
fast and it is being replaced systematically by Gowalkar’s Pogrom of a fascist
and regressive India of the savage times. A historian friend calls it the
beginning of the end of India while a columnist friend calls it the “Unmaking
of India”!

The only silver lining is that the Hindu wave has not swept
the entire India. It is mostly restricted to what has been called the “Cow
Belt” of the North and Central India. Punjabi Sikhs in spite of the worst
treatment meted out to them by Indira Gandhi’s Congress in 1984 have brought it
back rejecting BJP totally. Goa too has been divided up and not swept away like
UP.The other positive factor is the awakening
in some universities and educational institutions. JNU gave a lead to the
resistance against communalisation of India. In many other universities and
colleges also, the progressive and secular voices have risen. If the
progressive India of Tagore “where the mind is without fear and the head is
held high; where knowledge is free….”, is to survive then the right thinking
progressive and secular people have to rise. Merely expressing opinions and
giving comments will not do. The Hindutva onslaught has to be resisted in all
spheres. Will it happen? That is a million dollar question and that will decide
the future of not only India but the entire sub-continent and in fact, the
whole South Asia!

As regards Modi, he has a chance to become India’s top leader
in history having a massive popular support among the poor masses craving for
development and wanting to be uplifted from the squalor and extreme poverty.
With his brute majority in Parliament which would be strengthened now in the
Upper House also, he can undertake revolutionary positive changes. He has to
accept the fact that the diversity of India cannot be wished away by forcible
Hinduisation. In fact, if he overcomes Hindutva brigade, he has the power to
settle all issues with both Pakistan and China. Again, the question is will he
do it or will he be allowed to do it?

Coming to Kashmir, this Hindutva victory will further
aggravate the already heightened alienation. After Modi’s initial victory in
spite of the Gujarat carnage, Kashmiri Muslims were scared of being swept away
by the Hindutva wave. They came in to vote in large numbers to keep out the
Hindutva wave generated by the BJP. However, they felt betrayed when the people
they voted to achieve this goal made a somersault and joined the BJP bandwagon
purely for power. The subsequent events of last year were the bursting of that
anger through the now famous “Burhan Tsunami”! The BJP victory clubbed with the
certain recent stern warnings issued as declarations by the top Army and other security
officials about targeting people supporting militants is sure to create more
uncertainty in the near future. Total mis-governance or rather the absence of
governance as mentioned in a recent editorial may be the last straw and a
trigger for yet another upheaval. One will have to keep the fingers crossed and
hope for the reason and the good sense to prevail all round! As per the common
prayer, may God have mercy on us!